Every student has probably thought about going to a foreign university for a semester or two during their academic journey. The University of Gdańsk can help such people in many ways - from the initiatives of the SEA-EU European Alliance of Coastal Universities to information meetings about the programmes in question. Find out what opportunities studying abroad at the UG opens up.
SEA-EU - the five seas and an ocean
UG students during a competition in Split, Croatia.
Unique to the University of Gdańsk is certainly its membership in the European SEA-EU alliance. This is a consortium of six coastal universities. In addition to UG, it comprises the University of Cadiz (Spain), the University of Brest (France), the University of Split (Croatia), the University of Malta and the University of Kiel (Germany). From the second edition, the University of Algarve (Portugal), the University of Naples (Italy) and NORD University (Norway) will also become members of the alliance.
The alliance aims to embody the idea of a European university. Part of this concept, among other things, is to increase mobility between research centres. Last academic year, UG students had the opportunity to take part in an inter-university competition and travel to another member state for the final, or find a summer internship abroad. The consortium also organises joint cultural and sporting events. During the first edition of the SEA-EU universities, there was, for example, a culinary competition or a run and an online music festival. UG's membership in such a project opens up a great many opportunities for student mobility, so it is worth looking out for further opportunities to travel.
Erasmus+ - studies and placements
The largest European mobility programme for students and university staff is Erasmus+. The next edition of the popular European Union initiative will run until 2027. Its budget for the next seven years of operation is EUR 26.2 billion, almost twice as much as for the first iteration of the project.
At the University of Gdańsk, the Erasmus+ Programme Service Section is responsible for coordinating the programme, where students can obtain information on mobility opportunities and enquire about the details of the whole mobility procedure.
Mobility for studies, which allows students to complete a part of the study programme in one of the EU Member States, EU candidate countries and countries which are members of the European Economic Area, is most popular. Funding covers studies lasting one (3-5 months) or two semesters (max. 10 months) within the same academic year. Depending on the field of study and the country, financial support ranges from €450 to €550 per month for the academic year 2022-2023. These amounts are subject to change in subsequent years.
At the UG, recruitment for such trips takes place once a year - at the end of February/beginning of March. It is preceded by promotional and informational events. Details of these meetings appear on both the central and faculty UG websites.
Those who would like to gain work experience abroad during and after their studies will certainly be interested in a long-term placement (2-5 months). In this case, the student has to find an institution related to his/her field of study and apply for an internship himself/herself. There is also the option of using a special website where internship offers are advertised. If the organisation agrees to host the student, the student may apply for Erasmus+ funding for the trip.
The third type of mobility is short-term mobility. They last between 5 and 30 days, although the EU encourages participants to extend their contact with the institution virtually. Depending on the length of the trip, programme funding is either €50 or €70 per day.
For each type of trip, additional support is available for people with disabilities or with fewer opportunities (e.g. in a difficult financial situation). More travel funding is also given to programme participants who choose sustainable modes of transport (e.g. train or bus).
Mobility outside the EU
Weronika Kamińska during her trip to the USA
Studying on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean is offered, among others, by the Fulbright Scholarship. This project has been opening up opportunities for young people to travel to the USA for 75 years. While this programme is not directly linked to the University of Gdańsk, there are various initiatives at our university to support students and staff. For example, last year the Fulbright scholarship ambassador dr hab. Anna Kłonkowska, prof. UG held a meeting for those interested in applying. Weronika Kamińska, a doctoral student who herself was admitted to the programme last academic year, also gave advice on the UG website.
If someone would like to go beyond the borders of the western world, it is worth taking a look at the cooperation agreements with foreign centres. Since its inception, the University of Gdańsk has signed 228 such agreements. Some concern interdepartmental cooperation and others inter-university cooperation. Centres linked to the UG in this way include the University of Tirana (Albania), the University of Chardingahu (India) and the University of Tokyo (Japan).
However, a trip to a research centre with which UG has such an agreement entails covering its costs yourself. Currently, there is no programme that would subsidise such trips, but it is always possible to submit an application to the Vice-Rector for Students and Educational Quality requesting support.
There is still plenty of time to submit documents for all these projects. However, it is already worth considering which of these trips is closest to us. The various programmes require not only good results, but also, for example, giving back to your community (Fulbright). Starting to prepare now increases our chances of getting the trip of our dreams. The University of Gdańsk offers assistance at certain stages of the process, but in the end, the lion's share of the work lies with the student.
NAWA
An alternative to the solutions associated with the UG is the offer of the National Agency for Academic Exchange. It offers student mobility programmes as part of bilateral agreements and cooperation with such countries as China, Egypt, Japan, Kazakhstan, Taiwan or Vietnam. Mobilities under the programme may last from five days to 12 months in an academic year - depending on the provisions of the agreement or scholarship offer under which the cooperation takes place. More information is available on the NAWA website.
Detailed information on all the programmes mentioned can be found here:
Directory of foreign centres with which UG has an academic cooperation agreement.